Before Forever
by Gemmika
Summary: Before becoming King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity, they were just Mamoru and Usagi. A collection of fluff fics under 1k words.
1. Reconciling Fate

**A/N: Hello, it's me again! As you'll quickly realize, I enjoy the idea of Usagi being unsure about something and Mamoru being a very serious and intense boyfriend as he reassures her. It makes me happy. So here, have yet another story with a reassuring Mamo. This time it's set more in the manga/crystal universe than the classic anime. This first drabble is rated K.**

"Mamo, can I ask you something?"

Usagi looked up into her boyfriend's handsome face. Ever since they had found each other again, him walking her home from school had become tradition, a daily occurrence. They would meet at the Ichi no Hashi park between their two schools and spend a few minutes together where they could just be a simple teenage couple. It was something they didn't get to enjoy nearly enough.

"You can always ask me anything, Usako. You know that." He smiled down at her, the warm affection he saved just for her shining in his eyes.

She felt a flush creep up her cheeks and tried to steel herself. "It's been a week since everything happened, since Crystal Tokyo and defeating the Black Moon Clan. I was just wondering…"

She trailed off, unsure of how to say what was on her mind.

Mamoru stopped walking and placed his hand on her shoulder. His eyes were focused on hers, and the warmth of his hand was soaking through her school uniform. "Is this about Chibiusa?"

She dropped her eyes to his chest and nodded. Of course, the question on her mind wasn't entirely about their future daughter, but it was close enough that she figured he knew where her mind was. How many people got that kind of glimpse into their future? How many people knew exactly how their relationship would turn out?

"I don't know if you've thought about it at all since we've come back, but I can't seem to stop thinking. I mean… we know how things are going to end up for us. It's kind of overwhelming, don't you think?"

He tilted his head and his eyebrows knitted together. "What do you mean?"

Doubt filled her mind as she looked into the face she loved more than anything else in the world. Should she say it? If he wasn't already thinking along these lines, would it be a bad idea to transfer her own worries onto him? Shouldn't she just leave the future as it was and hope they would both be happy? Or would it be better to know now if her worries were justified?

"Mamo… do you feel like you've lost your right to make a choice about what you want?" Her voice was getting louder as her nerves grew, shooting up into a higher octave. "Does knowing the future make you feel as if you're stuck with me?"

She all but shouted the words at him, her fears sending her heart into a painful sprint in her chest. Her hands balled into fists at her sides and her eyes swam with tears. She couldn't believe she had actually said it, that she had voiced her fears. They had been on her mind for days and she had worried she would never get them out of her mouth. Of course, now that she _had_ said it… what would his answer be?

It took her by surprise when Mamoru snatched her against his chest and hugged her tightly. Her eyelids flew open at this very public display of affection out on a residential street. He never hid his feelings for her, but he could be reserved when strangers were around. Apparently not today.

"Usako, if I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't be," he whispered in her ear and stroked the side of her face with his knuckles. "Seeing the future just confirmed what I already knew."

"What did you know?" His reaction surprised her. She had half expected him to admit that he _was_ overwhelmed by the knowledge that Chibiusa was their daughter, and that not only would they marry, but rule over the Earth together. It was a lot for anyone to take in. The fact that he was taking it in stride was awe inspiring. He had only turned 18 a few days before, but already he was every bit as mature as she knew he would be when he was crowned King.

He hugged her tighter and brushed a kiss to her temple. "That I was never going to let you go. Not for an instant."

She sighed happily and rested her cheek against his heart. They stayed that way for a long moment, but finally he pulled away and took her hand in his. They both knew that if she didn't get home soon, Chibiusa would come looking for them.

"Does this mean that we're engaged?" She teased him, giving his hand a little squeeze as they continued their walk back to her house.

Mamoru paused and looked down at her. He had one eye closed and one opened, squinting at her as if he could determine how serious she was. Then he chuckled and cupped her chin in his hand. "Why don't we just wait for that until we are a little older. For now…" he pulled her mouth to his and gave her a kiss that make her knees shake.

"Yeah, this is enough for now," she agreed, and let herself be kissed senseless by the boy she loved. He was right, they had plenty of time.


	2. The First Step

**A/N: Hello! Today's installment of "Before Forever" is set pretty firmly in the manga. I noticed that in several scenes in the Infinity arc, Usagi and Chibiusa stayed over with Mamoru. While Chibiusa is content to wear Mamo's pj's, I realized that Usagi is usually in something frilly and feminine. The only explanation for this (in my head) is that she's at least a little moved in with him. Also, I do realize that they don't call each other "Mamo" and "Usako" in the manga. I just really love it.**

 _Mamoru is being so quiet this morning._

Usagi took a bite of the bacon and eggs Mamoru had prepared for their breakfast, all while eyeing him carefully. The one time they had spent the night before, a few weeks ago, things had felt the same and yet different. He had been quiet then too, but she had assumed that it had been because of the situation at the time. They had both been so worried about the uneasy circumstances surrounding Chibiusa, and on top of that… well… both of them had been a little shy about renewing their physical relationship.

Neither of those things were the case this time, so why was he so quiet?

"Are we still going on a picnic later?" Chibiusa asked eagerly as she took her plate to where Mamoru was standing by the sink.

He smiled down at her and nodded. "I think the weather is supposed to be really nice today. Did you want something special in our basket?"

Usagi tried not to stare at him, but she couldn't help it. He was acting so normal with Chibiusa, but whenever he looked at her, he quickly looked away again. There was even the telltale stain of a flush on his cheeks. What was going on in his head?

While the two of them chatted about what to pack in their picnic lunch, Usagi picked at her breakfast. Unlike times in the past, she wasn't feeling jealous as she watched Mamoru and their future daughter. She knew that this time _she_ was the one excluding herself. At any time she could jump into the conversation and be welcome, but she didn't. Something was holding her back and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Usagi, I need to take a bath. Can you set my clothes out for me?"

Usagi's eyes snapped up, startled to suddenly hear her name. Chibiusa was giving her a bright smile and a pleading look. When she looked up to meet Mamoru's eyes, he once again flushed and looked away.

"Sure, I'll grab them out of our bag and have them set out on Mamo's bed for you when you're done," Usagi promised.

With a happy little bounce, Chibiusa disappeared into Mamoru's bedroom, the oversized pajamas she was wearing falling off her arm as she went. Usagi on the other hand went in the opposite direction, grabbing their overnight bag from the sofa and digging through it to find Chibiusa's day clothes.

"Usako?"

"Hmm?" Usagi pulled out the dress Mamoru had bought for the younger girl a few weeks before and continued searching for the matching bow.

"It was really nice, having the two of you stay over last night." His voice seemed a bit strained.

She looked up from the bag, the dress clutched in one hand and the bow in the other. "It was?" That surprised her. From the way he was acting this morning, she had assumed that he had been regretting his suggestion to have a family day.

He took Chibiusa's outfit from her hands and set in on the sofa next to her. "Yeah, it was. And actually… well, I was wondering if you might want to do this again sometime."

His cheeks were pink again.

She tilted her head to the side and considered him. He was acting so nervous with her. Did that mean…? "With or without Chibiusa?"

Now he was absolutely scarlet and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Um… either, I guess. I enjoy our family dynamic, but I wouldn't mind having some time with just the two of us, too. I just, well, I enjoyed waking up to the two of you."

It was her turn to blush. Was this what he had been so embarrassed about? _He enjoyed being a family?_ That was adorable and so completely him. She stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist, needing to be close to him.

"Are you sure we aren't too much trouble? We don't crowd you too much?" She was hesitant to accept his open offer of staying overnight with him again. It seemed too good to be true.

A relieved sort of smile reached his eyes and he hugged her back. "I'll get a futon. That way neither of us will fall off the bed if Chibiusa keeps growing on us."

She beamed at him and leaned up on her toes to kiss him. He saw what she wanted and bent his head to hers, capturing her lips in a kiss so soft and tender that she let out a sigh of pure happiness.

"I should probably get Chibiusa's clothes laid out for her. I'm sure she won't hesitate to burst out here and grab it herself if it comes down to it," she joked.

He tightened his arms around her so she couldn't leave, and she noticed the blush was back. "While you're in the bedroom, you could always just put your pajamas in the second drawer of my dresser. I cleaned it out for you to use… so you don't have to keep bringing more clothes over every time you stay."

Her eyes grew round with surprise. He had cleaned out a _drawer_ for her? Wasn't that the first step to moving in with someone? Did he really want the two of them around that much?

"I'll make sure to buy some extra toothbrushes for you guys, too. I'll keep them in the bathroom with mine."

He really had thought of _everything_. A giggle escaped from her lips and she hugged him tight. "Oh, Mamo. I _do_ love you."


	3. Effectively Winning the Argument

**A/N: Hello again! Today's drabble is based on a prompt I fell in love with. It's set in the classic anime timeline during the Dream arc, though I admit ahead of time that Mamo is a bit OOC. This piece is rated G.**

"You were staring at that new waitress again! Do you think she's prettier than I am or something?"

Chibiusa hung back a bit as they left Crown Cafe, watching Mamoru and Usagi with careful eyes. In her time period, her parents never argued this way. It was almost fascinating to watch the younger versions of them play out the same relationship dramas that she saw other couples go through on a daily basis. Of course, it was also a little sad too.

She eyed Mamoru carefully, the way he walked behind Usagi with his hands in his pockets and his face raised to the sky, eyes closed as if begging for extra patience. Chibiusa believed that he needed a lot of patience to deal with Usagi. Even knowing that she and Mamoru were destined to marry and someday rule the Earth together, she still suffered bouts of childlike jealousy that embarrassed everyone around her. Chibiusa couldn't really understand how they would eventually have the relationship that she had known all her life: that perfect blend of adoration, affection and mutual respect that made them great rulers as well as the most admired couple in Crystal Tokyo.

"Why do you always think I'm secretly cheating on you?" Mamoru finally asked, after they were quite a distance away from the cafe.

Usagi stopped in her tracks and wrapped her arms around her stomach, her shoulders slumping as she curled in on herself. It was something she only did if she was really hurt, like she was instinctively trying to protect herself from pain. For once Chibiusa didn't have the desire to mock Usagi for her clearly insane jealousy. She could see the uncertainty in the older girl's eyes, and she hung back to see what Mamoru would do. He always knew how to fix these kinds of things.

"Is it wrong that I want you to see only me, Mamo?" Usagi asked, her voice small and quiet, so unlike her normal self.

"Ah…" A gasp of surprise issued from Mamoru's lips. "Usako…"

"Why don't I ever catch you staring at _me_ that way? You make it so _easy_ to believe you want someone else!" Usagi cried, her hands balling into fists as she held them against her chest.

Chibiusa's mouth fell open in surprise. Usagi sometimes got jealous, but this seemed different somehow. She seemed to genuinely believe that Mamoru could want someone other than her. Even though Chibiusa teased her about it sometimes, about how Mamo could do better, she didn't really believe it. If they weren't together… where did that leave her? She wouldn't exist.

She was about to step in and beg them to make up when Mamoru did something entirely unexpected. He stepped forward and scooped Usagi up in his arms, casually tossing her over his shoulder.

"Mamo! What are you doing?" Usagi cried in surprise.

"I'm taking you back to my place where I can show you in private what I think of your ridiculous claim that I could ever want anyone else," he said simply, and began whistling as he carried her across the street.

Chibiusa stared after them in wide mouth astonishment as they left her behind. She probably could have followed them, but what would be the point? She had a feeling that this was one of those "grown up moments" that her parents often indulged in back in her time. She didn't really understand, but when Usagi's giggles reached her ears, she figured she didn't have to. As long as it worked for them.

She shrugged and turned back in the direction of the Tsukino house. Maybe she could ask Pegasus what he thought of the situation.


End file.
